Food meets Fashion: Istanbul

Food and fashion in Istanbul is like the city itself. A city of twos. The old and the new. The conservative and the liberal. The traditional and the current. What makes the city fascinating, however, is the harmony between it’s twos. Where there is food to be had in this city, there is invariably fashion and style.

As I went into and came out of restaurants to sample the local food or stood by idly waiting by stalls for street food the sheer force of the city’s fashion style could clearly be felt. Head scarves were worn not just as religious statements, but clearly as fashion accessories. Tourists and locals both contributed to this potpourri of fashion bomb everywhere I went. The historical sites, Ayasofya, Basilica Cistern and others were not spared. The selfie stick was testament to the fact that folks wanted to capture themselves in their best and indeed they were and carried themselves in the most alluring of styles.